India's new chief of defence staff, General NS Raja Subramani, and Navy chief, Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, have taken charge of their respective roles, succeeding General Anil Chauhan and Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi.
The appointments come at a crucial time as the armed forces push ahead with theatreisation, a long-awaited reform aimed at bringing together military resources and capabilities for future warfare.
General Subramani said strengthening the transformation of the armed forces and carrying out organisational reforms to improve tri-services integration and coordination would be among his top priorities.
He also assured citizens of India that armed forces will continue to serve the nation with dedication, courage, honour and professionalism.
Admiral Swaminathan said the Indian Navy stands vigilant to protect national interests and will maintain the highest level of operational readiness and combat effectiveness.
General Subramani is the third Army officer to serve as CDS, and Admiral Swaminathan is expected to fast-track the creation of joint services commands, one of the central goals of the theatreisation programme.
